YOUR QUESTIONS, ANSWERED

Does my toddler need to take a vitamin supplement?

The research shows that children benefit from taking protein/iron and vitamin D/calcium supplements. There were only 2 journal articles that I could find on multivitamin supplements in young children (2-24 months of age). The results showed an increased growth in length and decrease in diarrhea. In 2005, the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reported that most children ages 0-3 years get adequate nutrition from diet alone and any supplement recommendations needed to be based individually from a dietary assessment.

If you are concerned and want to be on the “safe” side, consider the source of the supplement. The supplement industry is not regulated by the FDA. This means that the company making your supplements has no incentive to test and measure that what is advertised is actually in the products. There have been several studies done that tested multiple supplements and found dangerous materials-like lead, as well as different amounts of the product than what the supplement was advertising on the bottle.

We often look to cut corners in our grocery bills, however, supplements are medicine-and when you buy the cheap stuff, you have to wonder what is making it so cheap.  Ask yourself, do I trust this brand? How does this company ensure that what is advertised on the bottle, is what I am getting in each supplement I take or give to my kids.

One example of a brand that does 3rd party testing and research is Shaklee Another supplement company that doesn’t have a “multi-vitamin” but does have real food based supplements and does testing is Juice Plus (Dr. Sears promotes this.) I am not endorsing these or any other supplement brands, but I do encourage you to do your homework when it comes to taking supplements.

If you are interested in learning how much of each nutrient you need, Dr. Sears has a great table on his website (click here).

Zen Recipe Corner:
Snack Ideas:
1/2 banana sliced lengthwise, spread with a 1 tbsp of nut butter
Greek Yogurt (like Fage or Quark) mixed with fresh berries
A couple of slices of deli meat rolled around apple slices (or pear slices)
Whole wheat crackers spread with hummus and topped with cherry tomato halves